Monday, September 3, 2012

Teach Math Like a Eating Healhy Diet

Author, Robert Kaplinske compares math instruction to eating a balanced diet. Mistakes teachers make in solving robust problems:  breaking down the problem to individual skills so that students have consumed all required skills.  The math problem then no longer resemles the original form; instead, they become a collection of disconnected skills as in a textbook factory. The Common Core Standards the potential to take a more balanced approach, not the current long list of skills taught in isolation with no context.  This he says is like taking lots of dietary supplemenhts instead of maintaining a healthy diet of whole foods rather than adding a bunch of vitiamin/mineral pills.
Strange comparison, but Kaplinske has it correct.  It makes sense to teach one skill thoroughly.  How do you feel?

Eat Your Math.  Robert Kaplinsky. 6.6.12. Education Week.
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2012/06/06/33kaplinsky.h31.html?tkn=XTPFG%2Fp0b%2FUMY6hWHNL9ZNIEgVL8vRo96Chi&cmp=ENL-EU-VIEWS1




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